The Enchantress (Wicked Book 1) (17 page)

Courage comes from love.
And with love comes sacrifice.

‘Drew!’
Laura called, ‘Drew you can’t go in there!’
  But it was too late, he was already climbing over the ruins, shouting
Caspian’s name like a cassette on an endless loop.
  Laura heard a yell echo out behind them and was reminded that Mr Stark and
his troopers were still close by.
  ‘Drew get down!’ she hissed as she reached the ruins and dove behind one of
the stone slabs.
  ‘Laura was too upset to come with us, and Drew offered to stay with her and
take her back home,’ she could hear Stella telling them, ‘Caspian is looking
after the manor, we are the only ones who came to Alast.’
  ‘Caspian was nowhere to be seen at the manor when we stopped by,’ Mr Stark
bellowed. He was no longer the chirpy, humours Wizard Laura met only days ago.
  They heard troopers approaching the shattered temple, kicking rubble about
and scanning for movement. Laura’s limbs ached and she prayed that they
wouldn’t be found. It was only a matter of minutes before she heard Mr Stark
call the troopers off the search.
  ‘No one could survive that,’ he muttered.
  Laura waited a while before she peered around the corner of the concrete
slap. All clear. She crawled out of hiding and began climbing through the
rubble, searching for Drew.
  It didn’t take long for her to find him sitting behind what was left of a
stone pillar.
  ‘Mr Stark’s right. No one could survive this,’ Laura whispered, and her heart
clenched at the thought.
  Drew stood, and suddenly the wreckage began to quiver and groan. They couched
down, gripping the pillar, waiting for the shaking to subside. Eventually it
did.
  ‘Come on,’ Laura pleaded, rising to her feet, ‘I don’t remember him fighting the
Wicked, in fact, I think he may have went after James.’ She was trying to
convince herself as much as she was him.
  Worry turned her insides to liquid as nerves pierced her stomach.
  Drew agreed and they left the ruins, descending the mountain.
  ‘What do we do now?’ She asked.
  ‘Now?’ He hesitated for a moment, collecting his thoughts, ‘now, we break the
others out of Jail, and we go after James. We find Caspian and your mother, and
we end their plans.’
  The fierceness in his voice surprised Laura. Drew had certainly never been
all that gentlemanly, however he had never exactly came across as aggressive,
either.
  Laura followed Drew through side streets and alleyways as they slowly made their
way back into their hotel.
  Laura dropped down onto the bed with a sigh, but her relief was short lived,
for they would be leaving again soon.
  She watched Drew clean and dress his wounds.
  ‘Here, let me fix you up too,’ he said, and she felt the bed shift as he sat
down beside her.
  She frowned, ‘what?’
  ‘You have a cut down your cheek.’
  ‘I do?’ She couldn’t remember it happening.
  ‘You’re lucky it wasn’t deep. It’ll heal quickly, with Stella’s salve.’
  Laura watched his face as he dabbed gently at the cut, his eyes focused. For a
second they flickered to hers, and then they returned to the task at hand.
  When Drew had finished, he took up his sword, cleaning it with a towel.
  ‘So what’s the plan?’ She asked.
  ‘It’s going to be difficult, Jail bars are bathed in the waters of hell, burning
us at a single touch, as Goblins do. We’ll need to get them open somehow.’
  ‘So we steal the key?’
  ‘It’s not as easy as that. The only thing that can counteract the hell bars
is holy water. The guards usually bathe their hands in it before touching the
jail cells.’
  ‘Doesn’t Stella have heavens water?’
  Drew nodded, ‘Yes, with it we might be able to break them out, but it’s a
matter of actually getting
in
to the building and eliminating the
guards.’
  ‘What if we create a diversion? Something that could lure most of them out of
the building and away from the jail cells, and then we can knock out the rest.’
  Drew was nodding, ‘what with?’
  ‘Maybe sleeping gas? Can it still affect them if they can’t breathe?’
  ‘Yes it will, it seeps into their mouth and nose regardless of whether they
actually inhale it.’
  ‘Okay so there’s that solved.’
  ‘Good, good, but what sort of diversion will we use?’
  An idea struck her.
  She grinned mischievously, ‘you don’t happen to know where we could get our
hands on some dynamite do you?’

‘You really are
psycho, you know that right?’ Drew said. They were darting through the back
streets of the city, Drew leading Laura to the weapons building.
  ‘Yeah this guy told me so once. Bit of a jerk really,’ Laura said.
  ‘Would you still call him that?’ He inquired, turning down another alleyway.
  She shrugged as they flattened themselves against the wall and Drew snuck a
peek around the corner.
  ‘He’s all right, I guess.’
  He shook his head and they crossed the cobblestone road. They hid in a clump
of trees, watching as an armed guard surveyed the perimeter of the weapons
building. An enormous wired fence enclosed the warehouse.
  ‘This place supplies the guards and troops with all their equipment. There is
no other place I can think of that has explosives.’
  Laura frowned. ‘Right, so how do we get in without being seen?’
  Drew watched the guard march around the corner and out of sight, then turned
his eyes to his watch.
  ‘4 minutes it takes him,’ he said upon the guards return. ‘Did you bring your
Pocket Knife?’
  It was still tucked safely in Laura’s boot, and she tugged it free, handing
it to Drew, and watched as he flipped through and found the pliers. He was
seconds away from cutting the wire when Laura reached out a hand and stopped
him.
  ‘What?’ he asked, frustrated.
  ‘This fence isn’t electric is it?’
  ‘Damn,’ he hissed to himself, hearing the humming for the first time, ‘okay
so we need to find the circuit and shut it off.’
  ‘What if the system is set up from inside the building?’
  He shook his head, ‘nope, I can see it right there.’
  Sure enough, situated on the other side of the fence and only meters to their
right, was the power box.
  ‘What now?’ Laura asked.
  He paused in concentration, running his hands through his hair, ‘okay. Okay.
Um, so we need to reach through the fence and shut it off.’
  Laura knew that her hands were much smaller then Drew’s. Glancing at the fence,
she was sure her wrist was skinny enough to fit through the holes of the wire.
  ‘I guess I’ll have to reach through.’
  ‘No. You’ll be electrocuted,’ he said firmly, ‘we’ll just have to find
something to reach through it.’
  ‘Drew we haven’t got time for that. My hand is small enough, I can do this.’
  Drew’s face was unreadable. Finally he gave in, ‘as soon as the guard passes,
head out there, and reach through slowly.’
  With a nod, she waited for his word.
  ‘Now.’
  She ducked through the bush and out to where the box stood. Raising herself
to her tippy toes, she took a deep breath and, holding her arm steady, she
reached through the wire. She rested her hand on the box’s handle and carefully
flicked it open. Inside were three wires, but no switches.
  ‘Damn it!’ she uttered.
  ‘What?’ She heard Drew’s voice sail out from the shrubs.
  Pulling her hand back, she looked to the trees, ‘the switch must be in the
building; only the wires are here. There are three wires, all white and I don’t
know which one to cut.’
  He tossed her the Pocket Knife, ‘can you see where they lead?’
  She retrieved the knife, ‘no, they go back behind the baseboard.’
  Drew cursed.
  Laura turned back to the wires. Which one should she cut? She reached
through, pliers open, and scooped up the second wire. Squeezing tight, she was
about to cut through it, when a thought struck her. What if it was all three?
They could all be connected to the circuit?
  ‘The guard will be back soon!’ Drew whispered.
  Releasing the grip on the wire she gathered up the other two, and then
pressed the pliers tight, glancing away as she cut through all three. She
squeezed her eyes shut as she heard the clip of the wires, and waited.
  No alarms sounded. No explosion. No shouts or running guards.
  She opened her eyes and pulled her hand back through the hole. She listened.
No humming sound.
  Cautiously, she reached out and touched the fence. Nothing. She sighed with
relief as she reached back through the hole to shut the box.
  She froze.
  The guard came around the side of the building.
  ‘Laura!’ Drew hissed.
  The guard hadn’t seen her. Slowly, she edged her way towards the trees, her
eyes never leaving the guard.
  He’s going to look. Any second, he will see me.
  Luck was on her side. She made it to the tree line and dove into the shrubs
just as his gaze lifted to outside the fence.
  Clenching her teeth, she waited. Only a matter of seconds had passed before Drew
appeared by her side, informing her he was gone.
  ‘It’s done,’ she puffed, passing him the knife.
  Drew cut a hole in the wire big enough for the two of them to squeeze
through. Hastily, he placed the wire back into place as the guard passed again.
  The second he was gone, the two of them scrambled through the opening, Drew risking
a few precious seconds to once again replace the wire over the hole.
  They were both fast and cautious as they crossed the yard, scaling the wall
until they reached the door.
  It occurred to Laura then just how many holes were in their plan. They could
have misjudged the timing, there could be hidden cameras, and someone could be
watching them right this second, or the door could be locked, and that would be
the end of their noble crusade. There was nothing they could do now but hope
that luck was still on their side.
  Drew tugged at the door and, to both of their relief and somewhat disbelief,
the door opened.
  They hurried inside, and were faced with rows upon rows of wooden crates. The
storage unit.
  ‘This way,’ Drew said, checking his watch.
  They weaved through the isles until they came to a row of wooden crates with
‘explosives’ and ‘dangerous’ printed along the sides. Drew checked his watch
again.
  ‘How many should we grab?’ she asked as he lifted the lid.
  ‘As many as you can carry. We need a big enough distraction.’
  So they each filled their pockets with as many thick plastic discs they could
fit. Drew found a fuse and lighter and Laura followed him as they rushed down
another isle.
  ‘Grab that grenade looking thing, its sleeping gas.’ Drew said, and after she
shoved two in her pocket for good measure, they took off for the exit.
  ‘It’s been 6 minutes. He should be passing soon. When I give the signal, open
the door and run.’ Drew whispered to Laura, receiving a nod of recognition in
return.
  Drew’s eyes didn’t leave his watch.
  ‘Now!’
  She pulled the door open, ducked through the gap, and took off sprinting at
full speed. She tugged back the wire and dove through the hole. Drew crawled
through after her, and then they were gone.

Estella
paced back and forth in the cell.
  ‘Calm down Stell, we’ll talk to the Grand Courts and explain the situation. I
am
sure
they will understand and help assist in the search,’ Leo insisted,
his voice calm.
  Logan sat with his back resting against the cell wall, his knees pulled to
his chest. ‘What if we’re stripped of our right to our Identity Mark?’ He
whispered to Grace, but she was already shaking her head.
  ‘They wouldn’t do that. Even if they did, we would fight hard before we
allowed them to take the option from us. Besides, I have a feeling we won’t be
here long enough for the trial.’
  Gemma, who was resting on the cold floor beside them, glanced at her, ‘what
do you mean?’
  ‘I know my brother. There is no way would they leave us in here.’
  ‘You… you think they made it out?’ Stella asked, her pacing slowing.
  ‘Of course they did.’ Leo said, although his voice was far from optimistic.
  ‘They did.’ Grace said with all the strength and belief that those around her
lacked.
  ‘Do you think they will break us out of here?’ Logan asked.
  ‘I know he will. It’s what he does. Protects those he loves. He will come.’
  ‘God I hope so,’ Gemma said, a shiver creeping up her spine.
  As if to confirm Grace’s words, an explosion rolled across the land, echoing
through the cell. For a moment, the ground rumbled and shook beneath them.
  Grace grinned, glancing back at Gemma and Logan, ‘told you.’

In a quick
discussion it was decided that their explosion would best cause effect if done
along the wall encircling the city. It would, according to Drew, appear to the
guards as an attack, hence more troops hurrying to the site.
  Slipping in and out of the trees, they found a place along the wall that
would best fill their service, both being an adequate distance from the city
and providing enough cracks to force the detonators into.
  Drew secured the fuse in place and hurried along backwards, uncoiling the
roll. Without hesitation, he pulled the lighter from his pocket, flicked the
switch, and glanced back up at Laura.
  ‘Ready?’
  She nodded, ‘ready.’
  ‘Start running now.’
  She nodded again, turned on her heel, and took off.
  He lowered the flame to the fuse, holding it over the end for only a second
before it caught light with a loud WOOSH.
  It sped along the fuse as fast as lightening, sparks shooting every which way.
Laura had already made it halfway back to the city when Drew caught up with
her, and the two of them pushed themselves to sprint faster, reaching the
outskirts in only a matter of seconds.
  They had just ducked into the first alleyway when the explosion split the air.
Despite their distance from the wall, the shock wave still caught up, sending
them sprawling across the ground.
  The BOOM was tremendous, momentarily deafening both Laura and Drew as they
struggled to orientate themselves.
  Laura rolled to her side raising her head enough to see a bright orange
flower blooming across the sky.
  Constant explosions still followed one another as she staggered to her feet.
  They were then hit by another invisible force of air, tossing them backwards
as though they were caught in a tidal wave.
  Gripping the wall, she managed to pull herself upright, helping Drew as she
went. Debris rained down around them, and they looked up in time to see larger pieces
of stone soaring through the air like mentors.
  ‘Come on!’ She yelped, tugging at Drew’s jacket.
  They weaved through the allies, heading straight for the other end of town
where the jail was located.
  Wreckage showered the buildings as Enchanted spilled out onto the streets,
looking with disbelief at the cloud of smoke blanketing their city.
  Questioning shouts bounced off one another as the Enchanted tried to figure
out what was going on.
  Drew and Laura slowed to a walk as they pushed through the people crowding
the streets and caught sight of a group of armed troopers disappearing down the
road.
  The Stonebridge Jail loomed into view, but it seemed their luck was
short-winded, for another cluster of troops rushed past, blocking their path. They
bowed their heads and turned the next corner, then ducked down a different
street, scaled the building, and arrived at the back of the jail.
  Drew peered through the window, Laura following suit. Inside was an unoccupied
office. They hurried along the side of the building, peering into all the
windows they passed, and were, to their relief, consistently faced with empty
rooms.
  Satisfied, they edged around the corner, looking both ways to ensure they
hadn’t missed anyone. The coast was clear. They entered the jail and crossed
the room, passing the reception and reaching the first door.
  Cautiously, they glanced down the corridor. A guard sat watch at the end,
where, presumably, the cells were.
  They crept along the corridor and ducked into the first door on the left,
which happened to be an office.
  ‘All right, I’ll throw the sleeping gas into the cells. Judging from his
size, he will be out in a matter of seconds. I’m sure we will find the keys on
him.’
  Laura nodded, her eyes searching the office. A hat perched atop the desk
caught her eye.
  ‘Hey, this is Mr Stark’s office,’ she said, ‘I thought he was a part of the
Forces in Corin?’
  ‘Typical. Shows up here for a day and is already given an office to himself.
Jerk.’
  Curiosity got the better of her, ‘why do you hate him so much?’ she asked,
despite the fact that, right now, she didn’t particularly fancy him herself.
  He was quiet for a long time before he finally answered, ‘when we came to the
manor, Grace and I, we told him of what happened to our family. We were a mess,
sickened by what we had been through. He didn’t so much as blink an eye. He
barely reported on the matter. He decided to write it off as an accident.’ Drew
scoffed, ‘he claimed that the attacker had a different target and we just
happened to be in the way. He said it was an ‘unfortunate occurrence’ but we
need to ‘move on’. As if it’s just that easy. I hate him. Those killers are on
the loose,’ his voice was ice-cold, ‘and they need to be brought to justice.’
  Laura was rendered speechless. After a moment, she opened her mouth, ‘he
doesn’t deserve what he has.’ She wanted to comfort Drew, but now wasn’t the
time. Instead, she held is gaze. ‘What a jerk.’
  A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. ‘Let’s do this,’ he said, cracking
the door open enough to check both ways, then quietly ducking into the next
room.
They continued the process until they reached the end of the hall. Drew checked
on the guard. He remained with his back to the door, a gun resting in his lap.
  ‘Hold that rag over your nose,’ he ordered, securing his shirt up over his
nose and mouth before pulling the pin of the grenade and tossing it into the cells.
  It rolled to a stop by the guard’s foot, but before he could react, the
grenade exploded in a puff of green mist. Within seconds of it going off, the
guard had slumped forward.
  Drew found the keys and they rushed along the jail cells, searching each one
for their friends. The mist was yet to reach the other end of the room, where
they found the rest of their group.
  The second Laura and Drew came into view, they jumped to their feet in both shock
and relief.
  Grace moved towards the bars, ‘hey there little brother,’ she grinned at him
knowingly.
  ‘Only by a minute.’ he grinned back.
  ‘How the hell did you get in here!’ Stella demanded, trying but failing to
conceal her smile.
  ‘We’ll tell you later, put your shirts over your noses, there’s sleeping gas
out here.’
  They did as he said and Laura pulled Stella’s heavens water from her pocket,
soaking Drew’s hands with it. He reached out, unlocking the hell bars.
  One by one their five companions rushed past the guard and into the hall.
  ‘Wait!’ Leo brought them to a halt, and they turned to catch him ducking behind
a door. He returned with their weapons in tow and tossed them to their owners.
  Then they were off. Sunlight streamed down over them as they finally released
their shirts.
  They were sly, keeping to the shadows, following the backstreets to their
hotel.
  Stella took up her position as leader the moment they stumbled through the
doors of their room.
  ‘We need to be out of here soon. Where is Caspian?’
  Laura caught Drew’s eye and could see he was genuinely afraid. He turned to
Stella, ‘we think Caspian went after James. He escaped halfway through the
battle in the temple.’
  Stella fell back onto the bed, and her shoulders slumped as she smothered her
face in her hands.
  Laura stepped forward, ‘I think we should search that house Drew and I
followed mum to. Maybe we can find some clues.’
  Drew agreed, ‘yes then we’ll go from there. Our main goal is to find Caspian
and Cara and put a stop to James’ plans.’
  Stella squared her shoulders and straightened, ‘good. That is what we will do.’